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teething gel and latch

ok lo is 6 weeks and miserable. if i give him teething gel will the numbing interfer with latch and suction? i know teething tabs dont 'numb' but im afraid he is too little for them even though they disolve instantly. i just cant sit here and watch him in pain any longer. i told dh to pick up some gel on the way home from work so in the meantime what do u think about the latch/suction?

Re: teething gel and latch

The teething tablets can be dissolved in a teaspoon of water and given that way. I would hestitate to give a 6 week old any teething gel. Since your LO is teething so early, have you talked to your pediatrician about possible methods of pain management that are appropriate for his age?

Re: teething gel and latch

6 weeks is very young to teeth. It wouldn't be a bad idea to confirm that with your doctor. I would not give teething gel. Put a little of it on your lip and see how much it actually does numb. You wouldn't want any of it to numb the back of your LO's throat and interfere with his airway. Supposedly, teething tablets (we use Hyland's) can be given to even the youngest of babies, but we didn't give them before 4 months. I wouldn't give them at 6 weeks without the ok of your pediatrician.

Look at this site on signs of teething: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T083000.asp. Remember, babies are born with their teeth under their gums (they even have their permanent teeth in there). You may see what looks like teeth under the gums even though your child is not teething. DD's gums were swollen for almost a month before she got her first teeth (around 5 months) and she had the drooling/chewing thing going on for months. It's not impossible that your child would teeth that early, it's just rather unlikely.

Re: teething gel and latch

I called the dr and he said just deal with it. (not in those words) Tylonal and frequent nursings. Thats it. I have been freezing the binkies and that is helping. Since they arnt fully broke through yet just blisters I hope it doesnt take forever.

Re: teething gel and latch

Yeah, totally looks like my son's mouth when he started. Some days it felt like we were just counting down the minutes until he was able to have his next dose of Tylenol. We did find a homeopathic remedy that worked for us: Camilia, made by a company called Boiron (here). It just comes in these little liquid packs (they look kinda like mini freezies) that are pre-dosed, so you just break off the top of one and spray it into baby's mouth.

EDIT: hmm, just read on the website that it's for 4mos and up (mine started at 4mos, so I guess I didn't need to remember that and my memory dumped it). Anyway I guess something to keep in mind for when you get there.